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Türkiye wants to deepen cooperation with China in renewable energy, batteries, electric vehicles, smart manufacturing and sustainable infrastructure, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said Monday, calling for more Chinese investment and a more balanced trade relationship.
“We welcome Chinese companies increasing their investments in Türkiye,” Yilmaz told the Türkiye-China Green Development Business Forum in Istanbul, attended by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.
Yilmaz said Türkiye and China should turn their growing political dialogue into more sustainable, production-focused economic ties as the two countries mark 55 years of diplomatic relations.
He said bilateral trade reached about $53 billion in 2025, making China Türkiye’s largest foreign trade partner, but acknowledged a significant imbalance: Türkiye imported $49.6 billion from China while exporting $3.3 billion.
Although Türkiye’s exports to China rose nearly 49% in 2026, Yilmaz said they remained limited.
“This is not a disagreement but a structural issue that requires a joint effort,” he said. “Our goal is to increase Türkiye’s trade with China and make it more balanced.”
Yilmaz identified renewable energy, energy storage, electric vehicles, battery technologies, smart manufacturing, environmental technologies and sustainable infrastructure as priority areas.
He said green transformation was important not only for climate goals but also for industrial competitiveness, energy security and macroeconomic stability, particularly because both Türkiye and China are energy importers.
Türkiye is pursuing a net-zero emissions target for 2053 and is hosting COP31 in Antalya, which Yilmaz said should help turn international commitments into financing, technology transfer and concrete investment.
Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said Türkiye was ready to develop high-technology and value-added projects with China in areas including new-energy vehicles, batteries, solar power and bioeconomy.
He said Türkiye plans to provide $30 billion in support by 2030 for investments including batteries, electric vehicles, solar cells, wind turbines, chips, artificial intelligence and industrial robotics.
Kacir also said Türkiye aims to raise installed solar and wind capacity from 43 gigawatts to 175 gigawatts by 2040, establish 140 gigawatt-hours of battery storage and build 10,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity.
Trade Minister Omer Bolat called on Chinese companies to use Türkiye as a regional investment and operations hub, including through the Istanbul Financial Center.
He said Türkiye and China should move beyond a traditional buyer-seller relationship toward a partnership based on mutual investment, technology cooperation and value-added production.
Bolat highlighted renewable energy, storage, electric mobility, energy efficiency, circular economy and low-carbon technologies as areas for further cooperation.
He said combining China’s technological and financial strength with Türkiye’s production capacity could create substantial economic opportunities.
Yilmaz also highlighted transportation and connectivity, including aligning Türkiye’s Middle Corridor with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
He cited the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Marmaray, a planned 120-kilometer railway crossing the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the Development Road project through Iraq as key routes that could strengthen Türkiye’s role between Asia and Europe.
Yilmaz later met Han Zheng in Istanbul, where the two discussed trade, investment, connectivity, tourism, defense industries, science and technology, as well as regional and global developments.
Yilmaz said Türkiye wants to make economic relations with China more balanced and sustainable while using existing cooperation mechanisms more effectively.
Kacir said the countries would continue looking for opportunities to expand cooperation in trade, industry, technology and mutual investment.
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